


the benefits of orange marmalade

by Owlmelette



Series: ad(o)rabble [6]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Best Friends, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, ya'll can tell how absolutely productive i am, your classic best friends to lovers trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 09:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13521336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlmelette/pseuds/Owlmelette
Summary: Someone breaks into Leo's apartment and he has no survival skills, whatsoever.





	the benefits of orange marmalade

**Author's Note:**

> As you all can see, I am putting off my long fic in favor of writing these drabbles. Someone tell me how you are able to write long stories.

When Leo unlocks the door of his apartment, his heart almost jumps out of his chest when he sees the lights on, fresh laundry strewn across the couch, and a tall glass of water sitting on the coffee table. He distinctly remembers being physically absent from the city for two weeks so when his brain screams "someone's broken into your house!", he does the smartest thing anyone would do.

The course of action involves his broom conveniently leaning by the doorpost, and his phone camera (so that, duh, he has a good recording to go along with his ten-paragraph long rant on Facebook, later on after he presses charges). When he finally starts recording, he tiptoes his way to the kitchen. Someone has been too busy ransacking his pantry to be aware of his presence and he was gonna catch that horrid rat.

Everything can be told in five different snapshots: first, he jumps onto the doorway, screaming like a madman. Second, the culprit is spooked and drops the jar of orange marmalade and toast. Third, they scream at each other for a while, Leo's face contorted in confusion. Four, the culprit has fallen to the floor as a result of shock. Five, Leo runs to the culprit.

"Piper?"

"Leo?!" His best friend is currently sat on a pile of gooey bits of jam, her face about a thousand times redder than a tomato.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you weren't supposed to be back in two days!"

"Why are you wearing my sweater?"

"What?"

"What?"

For a while, they revel in the deafening silence, Leo crouching towards her and observing the glass shards and the marmalade smeared onto the floor and on some parts of her body. They're both out of breath from the scream-fest they had previously engaged in, but he now notices that she's trying not to cry.

"Crap, does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Piper comes out of a daze. "What? What do you mean?"

"Pipes, you're sitting on glass."

That seems to wake her. "Omygoodnesswhatiamsittingonglass???"

Thirty minutes and a shower later, the kitchen is sparkly clean and Leo's treating her wounds. They're minor injuries, nothing his awesome Beauty Queen can't handle, but he doesn't like the thought of not being of assistance (even if she _did_  stay over at his place for who knows how long). They've moved the laundry to another part of the living room and Piper's legs are draped across his thighs, a first aid kit at the foot of the couch.

"So care to tell me why you were here?"

"I was... house-sitting?" It's the first time Piper sounded unsure so he looks up from the antiseptic and the small gash on her leg.

"House-sitting?" He repeats.

"Yeah, you know... what best friends do. Yay." There's something fishy going on and he knows it.

"Did something happen with your dad?"

"No."

"Did Jason do something stupid?" It's a stupid question because everyone knows Grace will never do anything stupid unless he's in Reyna's presence.

"No."

"Someone stalking you?"

"No."

He sighs. "I know I gave you a spare key to my apartment because you're my best friend. And I really appreciate all this," he makes one big sweep at the house-cleaning she's done. "But it's just strange for you to do all this?"

When she doesn't answer, Leo pats her leg. "I won't force you to tell me but whatever it is, I'm here for you, Beauty Queen."

Piper isn't looking at him when he says that, but he sees the different emotions flit across her face. When the silence goes on for too long, he continues dressing her wounds.

"It's embarrassing," she opens her mouth to say something else but she turns beet red and reaches for the throw pillow to cover her face. Which is weird. Piper has never been embarrassed, at least with him. They've been best friends for eons and they're past the point of keeping secrets. Or of forcing out secrets. Because neither of them have a problem telling the other. But it's also... cute. Okay, sure, just a tinsy bit cute because she's wearing his large shirt and his boxers and her hair is tied up messily so that loose locks frame her face nicely. She's also cute because she pushing at him with the soles of her feet, and he's placed multi-colored bandaids along her legs. But that wasn't the point and Leo becomes aware of the fond smile on his face and the small skips his heart is making. He really has to stop with those late night energy drinks. Giving him delusions and all.

"You can tell me anything," he pushes his feelings down, down the drain, stomps on them, puts them in a box, and mails them to Neverland because no-sir his friend needs him right now. And he's never let these foreign feelings get in the way. It hasn't been the first time he's felt his heart skip a beat when he sees his best friend acting all cute but that's. not. the. point. Focus on Piper.

It's a long time before she collects herself and sits upright, legs folded onto the couch. "I missed you," her face turns red again and she's forced to pick at the seams of the throw pillow instead of looking at him. "I mean, really really miss you and I thought that if I stayed here, I wouldn't feel so... lonely?"

Leo, of course, isn't breathing already. Everything at that moment, was holding its breath, waiting for Piper to finish what she was trying to say. "'I like you' is what I'm trying to say and-"

Well, whatever else she had been planning on saying was thwarted by Leo's rib-crushing embrace, his shaking hands finding the small of her back and his legs tangling with hers. Piper lets out a small yelp when she falls with her back flat on the couch.

"Leo?" Piper's arms instinctively go around him but there's confusion in the way she says his name. And maybe even a hint of fear.

He couldn't think straight. Piper likes him. Piper likes him. Piper likes him. It's going on and on in his head, every line an indellible ink in his brain, heart, and soul, and he feels like he's finally gone to heaven. He was so _stupid_  for sending those feelings to Neverland because here he is, in the arms of _the_  Piper McLean and definitely not just her best friend. For the first time in a _long_ , long time, he breathes a sigh of relief. "I like you, too, Pipes."

Her arms tighten around him and she's laughing in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

He gets up to lean on his elbows and looks at her dead-straight in the eyes. "I know I've played so many pranks on you before, but I swear, this is not one of those pranks." At this point, they're both grinning, relieved that everything turned out well and that they weren't the only ones dancing around their feelings.

Piper's hand is warm when she cups his face. "Prove it."

He gladly obliges and kisses her. Leo feels fireworks explode in his chest, the kaleidoscopic colors increasing in intensity when she hums in satisfaction and pulls him closer for more. She obviously knows what to do to leave him gasping for air.

Needless to say, the fresh laundry wasn't taken care of until the next morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed! This was originally going to be a roommate au but the story had its own plans. Please leave a comment if ya liked it and also, please, if I made any mistakes, do correct me. I don't bite.


End file.
